In wireless communication represented by a wireless LAN complying with the IEEE802.11 standard series, there are many setting items to be set in advance. The setting items include communication parameters necessary for wireless communication, such as an SSID (Service Set IDentifier) as a network identifier, an encryption method, an encryption key, an authentication method, and an authentication key. It is very troublesome for a user to set them by manual input.
Various manufacturers have proposed automatic setting methods for easily setting communication parameters in a wireless apparatus. In those automatic setting methods, one apparatus provides another apparatus with communication parameters using a procedure predetermined between these connected apparatuses and a message, thereby automatically setting the communication parameters.
As for the communication parameter automatic setting method, each manufacturer often employs its own proprietary method. Procedures for setting communication parameters or interpretable messages are different between apparatuses which do not support a common communication parameter automatic setting method. In this case, it is impossible to set communication parameters using the automatic setting method. On the other hand, between apparatuses which support a common communication parameter automatic setting method, it is possible to easily set communication parameters using the automatic setting method.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-338821 has disclosed an example of communication parameter automatic setting.
A communication parameter automatic setting method requires a role of “provider” which provides another wireless apparatus with communication parameters and a role of “acceptor” which receives the communication parameters provided by the provider and sets them in the acceptor itself.
Therefore, when a wireless apparatus needs to receive communication parameters by automatic setting, it must search for a provider that can provide those communication parameters.
However, since the provider does not necessarily respond to a signal for searching for a provider, it is impossible to easily search for a provider of the communication parameters.
In an ad-hoc network (IBSS: Independent Basic Service Set) complying with the IEEE802.11 standard, a station which has transmitted a beacon last returns a response to a probe request as a search request signal. This means even if a given apparatus transmits a probe request to search for a provider, an apparatus other than the provider may respond. It is therefore difficult to find a provider of the communication parameters.